Invitation to the Prince's Palace

by Jennie Adams

  Her eyes narrowed. Had he paid for that treatment himself somehow? Out of money that perhaps shouldn’t be invested in that direction because it was for his personal use or he’d earned it himself? She knew so little about him and she wanted to know…everything?

  Purely because Mel preferred to understand the people she dealt with!

  ‘We’ll treat tonight as an evening off,’ he declared. ‘If the remainder of this month is very busy, we can remember that we at least had a few hours to—how do you say it? “Veg out and do nothing.”’

  ‘Why, yes.’ A delighted laugh escaped Mel. She couldn’t help it. The sound just flew out. Mel also couldn’t drag her gaze from that crease in his cheek, or from the sparkle in his deep blue eyes.

  So she gave in and let herself enjoy the moment. It wasn’t as though Rik would want to spend the entire night kissing her senseless just because they were alone.

  Just because he’d kissed her once already. Just because he was the best kisser she’d ever been kissed by and there would be times in the public eye, at least, when he would kiss her again. Just because he made her want to don sparkly shoes and leap into a rabbit hole.

  ‘If we’re having a night in,’ a night of not kissing each other, ‘then I guess we just need to work out how we want to spend our time.’

  ‘Not reading about truffles.’ This too was said with a smile.

  Oh, she could fall heavily for that smile. She wouldn’t, though. Not when she’d reminded herself that she was doing this to help him, and help the people of Braston, and because she’d ended up here by mistake and there weren’t a lot of other options for him now, like none at all really, and she could afford the time and effort to help. Did it really make any difference whether she started her new life in Sydney this week or four months from now?

  ‘I think I’ve taken in as much information about truffles as I can manage for one day, but I’m pleased to know more about the industry. It’s obviously really important—to—to people here.’ She’d almost said that it was important to Rik, and that was why she’d wanted to understand.

  That wouldn’t be the key reason, of course. She wanted to be supportive of Rik’s efforts. She’d made the commitment to marry him for that reason. But she wasn’t obsessing over learning all about his life and work or anything like that.

  Are you sure about that, Melanie? Because you seem mightily interested in him, really.

  Yes, she was sure! And no she was not ridiculously interested! She was helping to fix a problem that she was partially responsible for creating in the first place. She was no more interested than she should be.

  ‘It’s a fascinating industry,’ she said in the most dampening tone she could muster. ‘The truffle industry. But perhaps we could pass the time this evening some other way?’

  Like snuggling on the sofa?

  No. Like…well, she didn’t know. Cooking? Playing on the Internet?

  ‘How do you feel about television?’ Rik indicated the large screen in the corner of the room. ‘I have a selection of DVDs I’ve not yet got around to watching.’

  ‘Watching DVDs would be…’ Smart. Sensible. Safe? Better than thinking about kissing the whole night? ‘A good idea. I don’t mind a good comedy, but I’ll watch most things.’

  They sat on the floor in front of the DVD cabinet going through choices until she found episodes of an Australian comedy show she hadn’t yet watched. ‘Oh, you have this series! I’ve only ever seen a few episodes but it’s supposed to be brilliant!’

  So they sat side by side on the sofa with popcorn that Rik made in the microwave, and sodas from his fridge, and watched comedy episodes until Mel had giggled so many times that she’d forgotten to feel self-conscious at all in Rik’s presence. Instead she had become totally enamoured of the rich, deep rumble that accounted for his laughter.

  And she forgot to guard against letting herself be aware of him as an attractive appealing man and not a prince who should be held at arm’s length because she was only here for a few months and he was marrying her so he could avoid any kind of commitment to a woman, even if Mel didn’t know why he seemed to need to do that as much as he needed to. They were almost through the evening, anyway.

  So why are you almost holding your breath, Mel, as though waiting for something to happen?

  * * *

  ‘Goodnight, Mel.’ Rik walked Melanie to the opened doorway of her bedroom.

  They’d watched their comedy episodes. Mel had paid more attention than he had. Did she feel it the way that he did? This compulsion that ate at him to draw closer, know her, use every avenue and every moment to learn more of her and to let her learn more of him? And a

  coinciding physical consciousness that seemed to fill the air around them with a charge of electricity just waiting for one small spark to set it ablaze?

  Why did this woman make him feel this way more than any other had? Rik didn’t want to admit that to himself, but he forced the acknowledgement.

  Then admit that you desire her, and that the desire is as much about her personality as it is about her physical appeal.

  He’d spent this evening with her and he’d thought about how different their lives were and mad thoughts had come through his mind about bridging the gaps.

  Look how well longevity and sticking together had worked for his father and mother. The queen had walked out, had done the one thing Rik and his brothers had never expected. She had turned her back on what she had treated as the core of her duty. And now neither parent would discuss the matter with their sons.

  Rik turned his thoughts back to the present.

  At times today Mel seemed to have almost forgotten that Rik was a prince. He’d…liked that. But now was not a good time for him to forget the arrangement they’d made. He needed this to work. To be distracted by her beauty and appeal was not the right thing for him to do, to be distracted mentally and in liking her so much, even less smart because it spoke of an emotional awareness that couldn’t happen. Rik could never trust…

  ‘Good—goodnight, Rik.’ She said the words quietly, almost tentatively.

  With a question in their depths?

  Her small hand came to rest on his forearm and she reached up and briefly kissed his cheek. ‘I’ll see you in the morning and I’ll be ready for whatever needs to be done to help get your temporary marriage plans started, or just to keep out of the way if you need to work in the truffle groves tomorrow.’

  Rik searched her face and saw the determination to do the right thing, to dismiss him and her awareness of him at one and the same time. To remain Melanie here and Rikardo there and never the two should cross over their lines.

  He saw all that, and he felt what was inside her. A very different compulsion that he felt, too, that made him want to lean in and replace that pseudo-kiss with the real thing. To know for himself if the last kiss had been some kind of strange fluke. If her lips would taste as good a second time.

  ‘Sleep well.’ He turned and started for his room at the end of the short corridor. ‘I will see you in the morning. Thank you for your company this evening. I…really enjoyed it.’

  And with that, Prince Rikardo Eduard Ettonbierre of Braston went to his room, stepped inside and shut the door firmly behind him.

  Only then did he lift his hand to allow his fingertips to lightly trace where her lips had pressed to his cheek.

  It was perfectly fine for him to find Melanie likeable, and to still marry her, end the marriage short months later, and get on with the single life that he wanted, and needed to maintain.

  He would not be marrying for real.

  Rik sighed and dropped his hand. For now he needed to prepare for bed.

  Tomorrow was a new day and no doubt a new set of challenges.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ‘I WOULD like to present to you my fiancée, Nicole Melanie Watson.’ Rik spoke the words to King Georgio formally, and as though the other impromptu meeting had never occurred. ‘My fiancée is known by her m
iddle name of Melanie.’

  If the occasion had been less formal, Mel might have smiled at Rik’s tweaking of history to suit himself. But this was not that kind of moment. Mel curtsied.

  ‘I am pleased to meet you, Melanie.’ Georgio took her hand and air-kissed above the fingers and, while doing so, searched her face. After a moment he gave a slight nod and indicated a setting of leather lounges and chairs to the left.

  They were in what Rik referred to as one of the ‘great rooms’. It was a large area, and could have felt intimidating if Mel hadn’t walked in here determined not to be intimidated.

  Mel and Rik had made their way down the mountain this morning. He’d driven at a gentler pace and Mel had remained calm until they were almost at the palace. Nervous anticipation had set in then but Mel felt that was justified.

  ‘Let us get to know one another a little, Melanie,’ Georgio said as they all took their seats.

  Rik sat on one of the sofas beside Mel. He seemed deeply resolved this morning. Last night, when she’d thought he would kiss her at her door, kiss her properly, Melanie had thought he might feel as confused and tempted and aware of her as she did of him. But of course that was quite silly. He might have wanted to kiss her. But that didn’t mean his emotions were engaged.

  Not that Mel’s were!

  Concentrate on the king, Mel. This is not the time for anything else.

  ‘Melanie and I first met through a cousin of hers.’ Rik added a few details.

  When the king nodded, Mel bit back the urge to heave a sigh of relief. But she also had to handle her share of the conversation. ‘I admire Rikardo, and the work that he does for the people of Braston. I want to be as supportive of that as I possibly can.’

  ‘That is good.’ Georgio’s glance shifted from Mel to Rik and back to Mel again. ‘And what did you do before you agreed to marry my son?’

  ‘I worked as a cook.’ It might not have been a glamorous job. It would probably sound even less glamorous if she admitted she had done that for little money, working for her relatives to earn her right to a sense of belonging.

  Note to self, Mel. You never did earn that right and you waited too long to get yourself out of that situation.

  A similar set of rites was being played out in this room between Rik and his father.

  She turned the highest wattage smile she could muster towards King Georgio. ‘My history is humble, I suppose, but there’s nothing to be ashamed of in coming from everyday stock.’

  ‘If that “stock” has an appropriate history attached to it.’ Georgio’s eyes narrowed. ‘My son will run a check. I will see this report for myself.’

  Like a police-record check or something?

  No, Mel, it will be a lot more detailed even than that.

  She tried not to bristle at the thought, and at the king’s emotionless declaration. As though he did this all the time and would have no hesitation in eliminating her like a blot from Rik’s radar screen if she didn’t come up to standard.

  It didn’t actually matter whether Georgio liked her or approved of her or not, provided she could marry Rik so that Rik could carry out his plans.

  I still don’t like it. My family history is my business. I don’t want it exposed to all and sundry.

  ‘Dominico already ran the check.’ Rik clipped the words off. ‘You may take Melanie at her word, Father. There is nothing in her history to justify the need for you to view the report.’

  Mel stiffened inwardly for a second time.

  Rik leaned close to her and said softly, ‘I’m sorry. It was necessary. Dominico gave me a very light summary of the report.’

  Much of Mel’s agitation subsided. ‘I don’t have anything to hide. I just don’t like the idea…’

  ‘Of your privacy being invaded.’ The twist to his lips was ironic.

  Somehow that irony helped Mel to let the matter go.

  Georgio straightened slightly in his chair. ‘I could order a search of my own.’

  A chill formed in the edges of Rik’s deep blue irises. ‘But I think you will agree there is no need.’

  For a moment as father and son locked gazes the room filled with the powerful clash of two strong wills. It occurred to Mel then that there were matters within such families that were very different from ‘regular’ life. Yes, Rik had ordered a search of her life and history. No, she hadn’t liked hearing that. But if Rik hadn’t done the search, his father would have ordered it. At least this way Mel wasn’t exposed to Georgio reading the entire report.

  A moment later Georgio glanced away. Rik had won that round, it was done and the conversation moved on to more general topics.

  Rik raised the matter of the truffle harvest. Mel sat quietly listening, but she remained aware of Georgio’s examination.

  No way would he have accepted a switch between her and her cousin. He was too observant.

  So you’ve done the right thing, Mel, by agreeing to help Rik. And Georgio is a strong-willed man and very set in his attitudes. You’re helping Rik to avoid being pushed into a long-term loveless marriage for the wrong reasons, too.

  * * *

  ‘You have done well this morning, Melanie. I’m proud of you.’ Rik spoke the words and then realised it perhaps wasn’t his place to feel such an emotion in the rather personal way that he did towards his fiancée right now. She wasn’t marrying him for real reasons. She was doing this to help him and she understood that it would all end a few months from now.

  Tell her what the buy-off will be in exchange for her assistance.

  The thought came, and Rik…pushed it aside once again, for later. He would take care of Melanie, would ensure that she got good assistance to start her on her way with her new life in Sydney when she returned to Australia. When the moment was right to bring the topic up, he would do so. He…felt that she would know inherently that he would…take care of her.

  Rik used a key to unlock the door to a small room. ‘There will be a number of rings you can choose from for your engagement ring.’

  ‘From the family h-heirlooms?’ Mel’s footsteps faltered in the doorway.

  For a moment Rik thought she might back out of the room, refuse to enter. ‘They are not all heirlooms,’ he said, ‘but yes.’

  She drew a deep breath, threw her shoulders back and continued into the room. ‘It’s probably a good idea to use something from the family’s stock of jewellery. The ring can be given back when we’re finished, and it won’t have cost you anything. We need to find one that fits and doesn’t need adjusting, and that you wouldn’t choose if you were—’

  Doing this for real.

  The words echoed unspoken in the room.

  The practicality of her determined attitude made Rik want to smile, and yet when they stepped fully into the room and he saw the spread of jewellery that Dominico had laid out for them, a strange feeling swept over him. His gaze shifted from piece to piece until he found a ring that he felt would suit Mel. A ring that he would have chosen for her if their circumstances had been different?

  There were no different circumstances possible, either now or in his future. Yet to Rik in this moment—

  He lifted a ring with a platinum band. The three diamonds were Asscher cut to reflect light off the many facets. The stones were perfectly round, and set with the larger of the three diamonds raised higher than the two to its left and right. Because the ring was simple and the setting not as high as some, the size of the diamonds did not leap out as it might have.

  The platinum band would suit Melanie’s colouring; the setting would look beautiful on her finger. It was a ring he could enjoy seeing on her for decades.

  Well, it would do for the time being. He lifted the ring. ‘This was not an engagement ring, but a dress ring of my grandmother that she had fashioned for her later in her life. Her fingers were small and delicate as yours are. I do not know if she ever even wore it. She was rather indulgent when it came to such creations. I…feel the ring may suit you.’

 
‘Oh.’ Melanie didn’t even glance at the remaining jewellery. And when Rik took her hand gently in his and slipped the ring onto her finger, she caught her breath. Her gaze flew to his. ‘It—it fits perfectly. Just as though—’

  ‘Just as though,’ he murmured, and there, in the quiet of a small room filled with valuable jewellery that Melanie had been hesitant to go anywhere near, Rik lifted her hand and kissed the finger upon which his engagement ring now rested.

  ‘Just as though we were a real engaged couple, I was going to say.’ She whispered the words and glanced down at the ring. ‘I didn’t expect it to look—’

  Right. She hadn’t expected it to look right. Rik didn’t need her to finish the sentence to know that was what she’d meant to say. He hadn’t expected it either. Nor had he expected the sudden sense of well-being and destiny that swept over him when he placed the ring on her finger.

  Was he getting in over his head with her somehow despite his determination to treat this as a business transaction? Had he allowed some attitudes and thoughts to slide in wrong directions because, if he hadn’t, then how had he ended up with such unexpected feelings in the first place?

  Rik should have been sorting out the answers to those questions. Instead he leaned towards her and somehow his arm was around her, drawing her close.

  This time when he kissed her it was he who lost himself in a moment that should not have been, lost himself in the taste and texture and the giving of Melanie’s lips as he kissed her until he had to break away or—

  It would all feel far too real?

  You cannot let it become that way, Rikardo. Melanie is a sweet girl, but she never will be more than a means to an end. You will never marry permanently, not for real and not for love, and not to lock yourself for ever into a loveless marriage.

  He would never trust such an emotion as ‘love’ within that institution. Not when his parents hadn’t managed even to love their sons let alone each other.

  ‘I have something else that I wish to show you this morning.’ Rik escorted her from the room, Away from a room full of the beauty that should go with emotion and dreams and the love of a lifetime, but had it ever existed within his family? There was that old legend, but…